We are happy to announce the call for the new Bard Network Course “Freedom ofExpression” starting at EHU this spring semester.

Course duration: March-May 2018.

Mode: online course (Moodle), 3 ECTS.

Entry requirements: English skills on the level of at least B1.

Registration deadline: February 19, 2018.

Course summary: The language of freedom of speech is often invoked to defend those who speak truth to power. Free speech can be seen as the language of political resistance, as we saw when Vaclav Havel spoke up against the Czech Communist regime or when American football players kneel during the national anthem. But freedom of speech also is invoked to protect satirical criticism as in the case of Charlie Hebdo and the Danish Cartoons’ depiction of the Prophet Mohammed. And today free speech is frequently invoked in the name of conservative provocateurs like Geert Wilders or Milo Yiannopolous. Many see free speech as the fundamental right of individual liberty and self-expression, which is why it is guaranteed in Article 19 of the International Declaration of Human Rights. Even for those who reject the idea that unrestricted speech will lead to political truths, the free expression of competing ideas girds a pluralist society where disagreement and dissent are prized. On another side, however, uncensored speech can lead to dangerous and at times painful ideas. Should anti-democratic groups be free to argue democratically against democracy? Should racist and sexist speech be permitted when it cows certain people from the public sphere, thus limiting their right to public engagement? Questions of the freedom of speech and ideas go to the heart of our global, liberal, and democratic community. The incredible ferment around the extent of free speech today shows how unsettled this community is.

The course will explore the historical, constitutional, legal social and political implications of